Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've travelled all over the world and lived in LA for 22 years. Dubai is the least walkable city I've ever seen by a wide margin. It would hold that title even if the weather did not already make it feel like hell on earth.
The weather makes it impossible to have the city walkable and enjoyable. If you want to see another city less walkable than Dubai, it is Qatar. There isn't even public transportation there (though a metro line is in the works).
Mountain View approves 10,000 homes by Google's North Bayshore project (2017)
81–90 of 215 posts
Re: Mountain View approves 10,000 homes by Google's North Bayshore project (2017)
#8210k is a drop in the bucket. We need blocks of high rises going up around all the Caltrain stops, and a corresponding increase in Caltrain capacity.
For what? To turn them into ghetto in 10 years? Examples are almost everywhere in the world.
Re: Mountain View approves 10,000 homes by Google's North Bayshore project (2017)
#83Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just have been to HK at Admiralty/Center. And the stairs up and down to get anywhere over the streets is super annoying. Especially at night. But surprisingly not much traffic, and lots of buses and trams. But maybe that was due to new year.
That's because you have been conditioned to look for the streets. The midlevel is amazing and protect you from the heat/rain plus makes your walk less of a pain (no need to cross roads).
Re: Mountain View approves 10,000 homes by Google's North Bayshore project (2017)
#84Re: Mountain View approves 10,000 homes by Google's North Bayshore project (2017)
#85(Dec 13, 2017) - This is a great start. But I think we really need more like 100,000 new units built. Just to help reverse some of the astronomical housing prices. I have no idea how a teacher would be able to live in SV and plan to have a family and everything else. At this rate, the housing costs are unsustainable. We wont be able to have a functioning city with all the needed staffing like teachers, nurses, seller…
Why not instead just run high speed commuter rail to the Central Valley? A maglev or something?
Definitely far more immediately useful than that San Fran — Los Angeles boondoggle.
Re: Mountain View approves 10,000 homes by Google's North Bayshore project (2017)
#86The elephant in the room wasn’t addressed. There is an affordable living developer involved yet no mention of pricing strategy? That said, hard to imagine it being any different than the highest of comps.
“Affordable” or other non-market schemes simply raise the prices for everyone else — including the non rich that don’t win the “affordable” lottery.
More market housing everywhere solves the affordability crisis.
Re: Mountain View approves 10,000 homes by Google's North Bayshore project (2017)
#87Parking would be less of a deal if they built mixed developments, which are more desirable anyway. It’s quite nice being able to walk out of your house and drop right into a coffee shop, bar, or restaurant. Walking to work or school is amazing too. People here seem to be so afraid that their neighborhoods will begin to look more like Dubai or Hong Kong. But clearly what we’re doing now isn’t sustainable, nor is it ev…
If by mixed do you just mean residential over retail? Is the Bay Area actually opposed to that?
Re: Mountain View approves 10,000 homes by Google's North Bayshore project (2017)
#88(Dec 13, 2017) - This is a great start. But I think we really need more like 100,000 new units built. Just to help reverse some of the astronomical housing prices. I have no idea how a teacher would be able to live in SV and plan to have a family and everything else. At this rate, the housing costs are unsustainable. We wont be able to have a functioning city with all the needed staffing like teachers, nurses, seller…
Re: Mountain View approves 10,000 homes by Google's North Bayshore project (2017)
#89Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don’t see why people think HK is a bad model, sure Kowloon walled City was bad, but modern HK is quite nice. I also got the impression that Dubai wasn’t very walkable, but I’ve never been there.
Just have been to HK at Admiralty/Center. And the stairs up and down to get anywhere over the streets is super annoying. Especially at night. But surprisingly not much traffic, and lots of buses and trams. But maybe that was due to new year.
Re: Mountain View approves 10,000 homes by Google's North Bayshore project (2017)
#90I hope they also invest in roads and mass transit. A lot of residents in those 10K new homes will be working outside of North Bayshore. Heck, even if one is working at Google, it could be at any other myriad campuses across Sunnyvale / San Jose / Mt View. There would also be kids, who need to be transported to schools. Without roads and transit improvements, North Bayshore can easily turn into a nightmare.
A lot of residents in those 10K new homes will be working outside of North Bayshore.
Yes. And they will all be jamming already-gridlocked Shoreline Blvd. and Amphitheatre Parkway, since US 101 separates them from the rest of civilization.